Dissectible Me 5 minute anatomy

Abdominal surface anatomy landmarks, quadrants and regions

There are a few anatomy landmarks of the abdomen, some of them bony, that we can palpate and use to understand what structures lie deep to the skin here. We can also use

Airway anatomy

Let's introduce the anatomy of the airway very briefly by starting at the nose and the mouth and working our way down to the alveoli. 

Angle of Louis (or sternal angle)

The sternal angle is an important surface anatomy landmark of the chest, deep to which some major anatomical structures lie. 

Synovial joint classifications

Synovial joints are specialised for movement. The shapes of the articulating surfaces define what movements are allowed, and we can anatomically classify synovial joints

Anatomical types of joints

Fibrous joints, cartilaginous joints and synovial joints. We can define them by what they are made of, and in turn, what they are made of tells us what movements they mig

Femur

The biggest bone in the body. What pertinent anatomical features should you be aware of?

Ovaries

What would I include if I only had 5 minutes to talk about the functional anatomy of the ovary? 

Nerves in the inguinal canal

What nerves run through the inguinal canal and are they at risk of injury during an inguinal hernia repair? 

Hippocampus

The hippocampus is part of the limbic system in the brain. What does that mean? What does it do? Where is it? In 5 minutes(ish)?

Oesophagus

The oesophagus is a muscular tube linking the pharynx to the stomach. The muscles of the face and pharynx are skeletal and under somatic control, whereas the muscles of t

Ossicles of the ear

Why do we have three tiny bones in each ear? 

Stroke

When we talk about "stroke" or a cerebrovascular event we're describing reduced blood flow to a region of the brain. What are the different types and how does this relate

Trochlear nerve (CN IV) palsy

The trochlear nerve (CN IV) has the single task of innervating the superior oblique muscle. Unfortunately the actions of this muscle on the eye are a little awkward to un

Abducens nerve (CN VI) palsy

The abducens nerve is one of those lovely cranial nerves that only does one thing, making learning it nice and easy. But what happens when it is injured, and how can that

Oculomotor nerve (CN III) palsy

What happens to the eye when the oculomotor nerve is injured or compressed? How can these signs and symptoms inform us about what might be happening inside the cranial ca

Pupillary light reflex

The pupillary light reflex can let you test the optic nerve, midbrain and oculomotor nerve just by shining a light into someone's eye. Let's talk about the anatomy and ho

External ear anatomy

Those folds and lumps of the external ear have all got names. Let's feel the concha, tragus, antitragus, helix, antihelix and opening of the external acoustic meatus toge

Acoustic reflex

The acoustic reflex is a mechanism that protects the ear from loud sounds. It is also called the stapedial reflex, middle-ear-muscle reflex and auditory reflex, among oth

Hypothalamus anatomy and functions

The hypothalamus, as its name suggests, lies in the brain inferior and anterior to the thalamus. It is a central structure in modulating many autonomic functions and home

Fractured neck of femur anatomy

What do we mean by the neck of the femur and why do we worry (more than usual) about a fracture here?